An Interview with Medicolegal Death Investigtor Loan Tran

by Charlaine Harris

Loan Tran, whom I met a few months ago, works at (take a deep breath) the Dallas County Southwestern Institute of Forensic Sciences, Office of the Medical Examiner. She's a Medicolegal Death Investigator, a job commonly mistaken for "CSI." However, in Loan's location (Dallas, TX) Crime Scene Investigators work for the police department and are responsible for the crime scene, while Loan's county job is to process the body of any individual who has died in questionable circumstances. Loan is part of a hard-working team which has handled over 300 bodies this year. Amazingly, after four years on the job, Loan still has a sense of humor. Loan agreed to answer questions posed by the Femmes Fatales, and if readers have questions for her, too, maybe she'll visit again.

1. What's the biggest difference between TV csi's and real csi's? Besides the ridiculous clothes? I've seen you at work, and you don't wear heels and low-cut knit tops.

With Death Investigators, our dress code is business casual with a white laboratory coat. The white laboratory coat is to reduce the risk of exposure to bodily fluids or other hazards we might come across on scene. No way are we allowed to wear high heels, short skirts or low-cut knit tops. I recently saw a show where a Death Investigator and Medical Examiner arrived to scene in trendy trench coats and knee high boots…and I have to say…that is not at all how we dress. I don’t really watch too many shows like CSI. The biggest difference is the technology. In these shows fingerprinting takes one minute but in reality it’s a bit of a process to make a positive ID based on fingerprints. Shows like CSI have really skewed the public’s view on how crime scene and death investigations really work. It’s not as “high tech” as it appears on TV.

2. What is the most difficult case you've ever had?

When dealing with death, all cases are difficult whether or not it’s traumatic or natural. However, there are cases that do stand out and are more difficult than others. I’ve had two cases that were very difficult. Both were young children involved in “freak accidents.” In one case a young boy ran through a screen door, puncturing his colon. In the second, an elementary school girl fell onto a handle bar during a bicycle accident and lacerated her liver. (I can only discuss these cases because the cause and manner have been made public and their stories were on the news.) When I interacted with the parents in these particular cases, I was deeply saddened that their children were taken away unexpectedly and so suddenly. They will not celebrate any more holidays or birthdays with their children.

3. Do you find juries have different expectations of your evidence now that TV shows about csi's are so popular?

Death Investigators do testify on occasion but it’s rare. Medical Examiners (medical doctors that are specialized in forensic pathology who perform the autopsies) testify in court. TV shows such as “CSI” have caused juries have different expectations on evidence. On television, difficult homicides or unexplained cases are solved within a couple days. I have worked cases that took months and almost years to solve due to lack of evidence. Television makes it seem very easy to “stumble” upon evidence.

Also, certain cause and manner of death determinations pend for 8-12 weeks for further testing. We can’t spit out evidence in an hour.

Another thing I noticed about TV shows is DNA analysis. It is not as easy and quick to build a profile to “catch the bad guy.” There are many factors that come with DNA profiling and the process could take months. It all depends on the samples that are available and their condition. Not everyone’s DNA is in the “system.” We don’t always get a “hit” on DNA like they do in TV shows.

4. Has something you found ever made the critical difference in solving a case?

Since a large number of my cases are still pending court trials or have not closed yet, I’ll mention past cases. Yes, there have been cases where the Medical Examiner’s findings have lead the arrest of a suspect. There was a case of an elderly gentleman who lived alone. He was murdered in his house. The decedent also had a pet bird that was killed as well. The Death Investigator made the decision to have the bird transported along with the decedent to the medical examiner’s office for an autopsy. During the exam it was discovered that the bird had bitten the finger of the suspect and there was fragment of it in the bird’s mouth. The suspect was identified by DNA from that fragment. Another interesting case was a small piece of a glove that was identified on the body by the medical examiner. That fragment was traced back and the suspect was located. DNA is so very important and it can make or break the case.

5. What do you find most satisfying about your job?

The most satisfying part of my job is helping to bring closure to families. When a person dies suddenly and unexpectedly, families really have a difficult time obtaining closure until the cause of death is released. Also, this is a career that extremely unique and difficult to come by. There is something different and new almost every day.

6. What's the biggest challenge you face in your day-to-day work?

The biggest challenge is not being able to provide answers for cause and manner of death. This includes sudden unexplained infant deaths or sudden deaths of people of any age where autopsy findings yielded no results pointing to the definite cause of death. Cases like this pose a challenge. Also, I do have to make death notifications on occasion and sometimes over the phone. It’s really difficult and emotionally challenging to notify a family member that their loved one passed away.

 

 

 

Comments

[Donna Andrews]

Loan, how does being a death investigator affect your social life? Do friends and family avoid asking you things like "So, how was work today?"

[krisneri]

A really fascinating interview! Thanks for visiting the Femmes, Loan.

[Hank Phillippi Ryan]

The BIRD bit the guy? Whoa. See--you cannot make this stuff up. This is fascinating (and educational)...thank you!

[Charlaine Harris]

Really, is that not amazing?

Charlaine Harris

[Marcia Talley]

I've heard of DNA from a cat hair solving a case, but a bird bite? How wonderful … well, from a mystery-writers point of view anyway.

[Elaine Viets]

An amazing interview, Loan. I took a Death Investigator's course at St. Louis University, but never practiced.
At the time DI's filled out a lot of forms, listing clothing, jewelry, and other things during the body actualization. Is that paperwork still done now, or do you use laptops or iPads?

[Green Dragon]

WOW. This is an amazing interview. I'm a fan of CSI and I like to see how real police work compares to the movies.

[Gippy Henry]

Very informative. I'm glad to hear someone comment on the way women dress in some of these shows. It's distracting like when a reader of fiction is deeply connected to the storyline and the writer interjects their opinion--suddenly the reader is back to reality. That's what the ridiculous clothing at a crime scene does to me.